Today’s guest post is by Nancy Harder of Nancy the Gnomette. Like me, Nancy is a twenty-something traveler and writer. Unlike me, Nancy and her family lead a vegan lifestyle. As a dedicated carnivore, I was curious about how veganism/vegetarianism mixes with the traveling lifestyle. I asked Nancy to provide some pointers for staying true to your beliefs when far from home and how to eat vegan on the road.
I’ve been vegan now for 6 months. Despite periodic cravings for cheese, I’ve really enjoyed this life choice. I’ve never felt healthier and I feel empowered lessening my ecological impact (among other reasons).
Veganism isn’t for everyone. What you eat is as personal a decision as who you marry and what you believe. But if you feel like experimenting with veganism or are already on the vegetarian/vegan journey, here are my top 5 tips for eating vegan on the road:
#1: HappyCow.net
HappyCow.net is a worldwide vegetarian restaurant guide. While not comprehensive, the site is bound to have a couple of suggestions for most places. My home state, North Carolina (aka BBQ capital of the world) even has 118 veg-friendly restaurant suggestions. The site also allows you to specify only 100% veg restaurants. I’m stoked that the vegan foodie scene is gaining momentum too. You might be surprised at the vegan culinary creations going on nowadays. It’s not just tofu, granola, and Birkenstocks anymore. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…) And this gives you great ideas on where to eat vegan on the road.
#2: Pack Vegan Nutrition/Energy Bars
Although there are many brands, LÄRA bars continue to be my favorite. The banana nut bread bar is pretty darn tasty. Like many of their bars, it’s also raw, for the raw vegans out there.
#3: Prepare snacks
Eating vegan on the road will often require a little more preparation. Mickey Ds, for example, isn’t quite vegan-friendly. However, if you throw some peanut butter, hummus, veggies, apples, and crackers in your bag, you’re set to go. If you can heat things, there are many vegan, even organic, soups out there. Some of my favorites are Muir Glen and Amy’s.
#4: Go for dark greens and legumes.
Did you know that a bowl of dark greens (e.g. kale, spinach, collards) has more calcium than a glass of milk? True stuff. And legumes are a great source of protein.
#5: Walk on the wild side – eat ethnic!
Ethnic food, especially Asian and African cuisine, have plentiful vegan fare. Some of my all-time favorite dishes have always been vegan in Moroccan, Ethiopian, Indian, and Thai cuisines. Just make sure to ask about fish sauce in Asian dishes, including curry dishes.
Experiment and try veganism out for a meal. You might surprise yourself with how much you already eat that’s vegan and the variety of vegan food out there. It may be easier to eat vegan on the road than you think!
Do you have dietary restrictions but still want to travel? Check out our Culinary Travel section for more information!
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Thanks for the tips! I think it can be really challenging to be a vegan on the road!
http://bedstuyfoodie.blogspot.com/2013/06/vegan-on-road.html
Thanks for the tips, and the great comments too! I referenced here: http://voyage2sun.blogspot.com/2011/10/vegan-road-food-research-post-2.html
Thanks for the tips, and the great comments too! I referenced here: http://voyage2sun.blogspot.com/2011/10/vegan-road-food-research-post-2.html
I am also a vegetarian and my body has never been in a very good shape. Being a vegan can really make you much heathier.”‘,
I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life (since childhood) and a vegan for around 5 years. The first week after I started backpacking was pretty challenging since I had a language barrier, no experience with this new life of travelling and had to quickly learn food words and phrases, but after that it has been (mostly) smooth sailing.
The key for me was to use the hostel kitchen to cook my own meals (there’s always quick meals you can make out of local foods if you’re creative / not too picky) and always carry snacks (protein bars, peanut butter, dried fruit and an apple or 2) in my bag. I even found powdered soy milk that will pack well for ’emergencies’.
Happy Cow, Yelp, online recipe sites and communities for other veg*ns have been a huge help. Writing out phrases in the local language to carry and show helps with the initial language barrier in many situations as well.
.-= Catia´s last blog ..Hostelito Inn, Possibly the Friendliest Hostel in Guadalajara =-.
Thanks for the tips Catla, I think that learning to cook a easy meals is a good skill for any hostel dweller.
I’ve been a strict vegetarian longer than I can remember – maybe 20 or so years now – and I’ve been traveling all my life. So far I’ve never had any problems with starving to death.
When traveling with other folks don’t become the one pain in the ass person just because you’re a picky eater. You need to be willing to have pie for dinner (oh no!) or assemble a meal from side dishes. Just don’t make some big hassle in a restaurant trying to get them to bend to your needs. No one wants to dine out with that guy.
Most places have a national or specialty dish. Take 15 seconds on google and learn what’s in it. Better yet take a couple minutes and learn the names of common dishes you can eat in the local language. Staring at a menu in a foreign language with no prior research is not a good time.
On a long haul bus ride and the only snacks being sold are pig testicles? Typical. Well, suck it up and go without. Believe it or not people often go without eating for a few hours at a time. It helps to at least have some water with you.
Definitely if you’re fragile – I don’t mean that in a derogatory manner – but if you have blood sugar issues, get light headed, etc then carry some snack bars with you. Or if you find a portable veg snack somewhere go ahead and grab a second one for later.
It definitely isn’t hard to travel veg. Especially the more you get used to it. Just relax, pay attention and think ahead a little bit.
.-= Shawn´s last blog ..This Week on the Webnets: Dec 19 =-.
Thanks for the insight Shawn! I’m surprised by how many vegetarian travelers there are- although I guess I shouldn’t be.
Thank you for this post!
I was a vegan for some years, though now I’m vegetarian. Travelling as a vegan was challenging and the level of difficulty varies by location. In Budapest, in 2005, I had to go through a lot of explaining in restaurants for anyone to get what being a vegan meant (and I don’t think it was just the language barrier), but I’m guessing nowadays it’s easier everywhere. At least most trendy European cities have organic and vegetarian bistros and delis budding everywhere!
.-= Laura´s last blog ..The Ghost of Christmas Past =-.
I do think it’s becoming easier but definitely can still be a challenge. When I was in the Balkans I could tell that it would be rather difficult for vegetarians there (unless they REALLY love onions).